62-year old brand St. John is currently enjoying some time in the zeitgeist. This summer, the brand opened a splashy new flagship on Madison Avenue, whereas luxury resale website The Realreal reported that interest in its suits has never been higher. Then there’s Palm Royale, the Amazon Prime show, starring Kaia Gerber and Kristen Wiig, which has put sunny 1960s socialite style back in the spotlight. (St. John was founded by Southern California model Marie Gray and Lilly Pulitzer: arguably two designers that exemplified the period’s glamorous fashion.)
So St. John is taking this time to reintroduce its classics. Enrico Chiarparin, vice president of design, has been fastidiously at work updating some of Gray’s original designs from the ’60s. This season he debuted pastel crochet knit dresses and shorts, with modernized silhouettes and updated fabrics. Sewn into their collars were the brand’s original label from its founding year of 1962. What’s old is quite literally new.
For his own creations, Chiarapin leaned into kiwi green and pink tweeds that felt right out of a Slim Aarons photograph. He said many of his pieces were Palms Springs and “desert inspired.” He looked at the bright yet arid landscape of the Southern California area, as well as the interior decor of local estates, for inspiration. (A jacquard suit, for example, took its cues from ’60s wallpaper.) Skirts and dresses boasted block floral prints, inspired by cactus flowers. There was also a playful Americana undertow in this collection: a tweed set came in red, white and blue; a ballgown skirt with a sparkle knit panel and cropped v-neck jacket color-coordinated in navy.
Some pieces were structured. Many, however—including lace slip dresses and silk tops—were loose and flowy. “We were looking at more like a bohemian type of inspiration—hippy chic,” said Chiarapin. (Somewhat uncategorizable amid it all was a fringed leather skirt set. But hey, it seems the western trend is still going strong.)
St. John is known for knits, and in this collection there were several knit pieces in a cacti color. For those who want to make less of a statement, Chiarapin did make a simple, 1990s-style white tank dress. But St. John? It’s always been about the colorful ’60s.
